Journey through time. . .
Did you ever look at something from the past and wonder about its journey through time? What purpose did it serve for someone? And what brought to this point in time? This may sound silly, but I do this quite often. You see, I think everything from the past has a story. A silent, untold story of its journey through time. Some things from the past may have had an adventurous journey and others may have had a more simple path that brought them to the present. Whether it was a meticulously hand-stitched quilt made at the turn of the century or something as simple as a button, it all has a story connecting the past to the present.
The matriarchs of my family believed in making use of everything and buttons were no exception. They used small tins, mason jars, even empty prescription vials to store their stash of buttons. As a kid, I would find myself fascinated by every kind of button imaginable. Everything from big coat buttons to those itty-bitty buttons from baby clothes, little did I know that those buttons were silently telling their story. I would grab a handful of buttons and watch them trickle through my fingers like jewels. The fancy ones sparkled like diamonds and I would wonder what special dress they had adorned. There was always an abundance of mens shirt buttons that had settled to the bottom of the tin. Were these from my Grandpas everyday shirts that he wore to work in the field?
I was fortunate enough to have acquired some of these containers of mini time-travelers and I hold them very dear. And even now, when I open my small tins or jars of buttons, I can hear the voices of my past telling the stories of my family and its strong heritage to make use of everything.
So, next time you see a container of old buttons, stop and listen. You might be surprised at what you hear.
